Speculation continues that Lou Lamoriello could be leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs to join his son on the Island.
After team President Brendan Shanahan announced on April 30th that Lamoriello would no longer be the GM, rumours about Lou’s future began.
That day, some more clarity was given on the media conference call. This was always a 3-year plan. And once those 3 years were up, Lou would be transitioned into more of an advisory role.
Lou Lamoriello on how he plans to handle senior advisor role: "It's an unknown. I've never been in a situation like that."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 30, 2018
This is a situation that Lou knew was coming. So, now that it has arrived, is he starting to back peddle out of it?. There are a couple different factors to look at here.
First, Lou is a hockey lifer. Even at age 75, he appears not ready to hand the keys over completely and take a lesser role. Lou has been calling the shots for nearly 4 decades. So, this is all foreign territory to him and how he will go about handling it.
Giving up control might not be as easy has Lou had originally thought.
Secondly, due to Lou’s age, the idea of getting to work with his son could be appealing to him. At this point, this is all speculation. And, until news breaks one way or another that’s what it will continue to be.
Can confirm the NY Islanders and Lou Lamoriello are now talking about a position within that organization.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) May 11, 2018
Could It Be True?
However, I am a big believer that when there is smoke there’s fire.
There is just too much information coming out that makes this seems like a real possibility. This could be a really bad look for the very respected Lamoriello if he indeed does back out of this agreement looking for greener pastures.
Nobody really knows what his relationship with new GM Kyle Dubas is. To outside observers, it looks like it was a healthy one, with Lamoriello mentoring the young Dubas for when this day would arrive. But, unless you are in that building, it is hard to say for sure.
It is reasonable to ask, had Mark Hunter been named the new GM instead, would Lou appear to be trying to jump ship so quickly?
It’s hard trying to navigate through the endless rumours that come out of Toronto. But, this one seems to be growing legs. Lou deserves a lot of credit for how he changed the leafs culture since the moment he signed on in 2015.
Next: Kyle Dubas and Hidden Talent
The Leafs organization is in a good spot right now thanks to him. So, if he does move on, he should be applauded for that.